


Terra Incognita

by mc_gonnagle



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Life in Xing, Mild Sexual Tension, Post-Promised Day, Swearing on Ed‘s part
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22113250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mc_gonnagle/pseuds/mc_gonnagle
Summary: A collection of Post-Promised Day drabbles, mostly focused on AlMei and EdWinIt was the stupid pants.More precisely, it was Granny finally forcing the boys to clean out the suitcases that had been sitting in the corner of their room for weeks.But really, it was stupid, infuriating Edward Elric, who never in his life seemed to throw anything away. Because why in the world would he still have a pair of leather pants at the bottom of his suitcase, when to the best of her knowledge, he hadn’t worn those since they’d split up that day in Briggs?
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric, Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell, Mei Chan | May Chang/Alphonse Elric
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the wonderful winryofresembools‘ birthday

It was the stupid pants.

More precisely, it was Granny finally forcing the boys to clean out the suitcases that had been sitting in the corner of their room for weeks.

But really, it was stupid, infuriating Edward Elric, who never in his life seemed to throw anything away. Because why in the world would he still have a pair of leather pants at the bottom of his suitcase, when to the best of her knowledge, he hadn’t worn those since they’d split up that day in Briggs?

And maybe she should have known better than saying out loud how small they seemed now, but noone besides that  _ idiot _ could  have somehow twisted that into her calling him short. Which apparently he now had to somehow disprove by putting on clothes that were never ever going to fit-

„Brother, it’s  _really_ not necessary“ Al sighed next to her on the bed.

She’d been helping him look through the clothes he’d brought from Central, sorting out the ones he‘d already grown out of. Al had lamented the loss of the first shirts he‘d picked out for himself in more than five years, but honestly, she was glad she’d never seen him in those. It was still scary to look at him sometimes, as if he’d be blown away in the slightest breeze like a dandelion seed-

„I‘ll show you! Just you wait-“ Ed finished pulling up the stupid pants with a grunt, and admittedly, they came up quite short on the ankles.

They were also _very_ tight higher up.

Ed didn’t seem to care though, or was willing to ignore it for the time being as he turned around with a grand flourish. The effect was slightly ruined by his struggle to stay upright.

Winry snorted, and she could hear Al shake his head with a long-suffering sigh, muttering something like „ _ Oh, Brother“ _ .

„What are y‘all laughing for? Shut up, I‘m taller than you-“

He kept wriggling around, apparently trying and failing to pull up the zipper with-

Her tongue caught behind her palate.

It wasn’t like- she’d seen Ed in underwear countless times, hell she’d seen him naked after his surgeries, and it wasn’t something she’d ever given a second thought too-

She knew she loved him of course, had even admitted it out loud to Granny, but there was still something profoundly embarrassing about realizing that your childhood friend had a nice ass. Like really,  _ really  _ nice.

Winry could feel her cheeks grow hot, and bit the inside of her lip, hard.

She forced herself to look away, focusing instead on evading the foot he kept waving around in front of their faces, presumably to show off that he had indeed outgrown the stupid leather pants.

It was a beautiful foot, if she did say so herself, with the new suspension system she’d installed three weeks ago shining through at the heel, smelling slightly of Brautmeier‘s Best Machine Oil, now that the idiot finally remembered to properly take c-

_ Was that?- Was that actually? _

„Edward Elric, why the hell is there a huge dent on your dorsal plate?! What did you do?“

He stopped whatever height-related rant he‘d been yabbering until now, and gulped slightly. Then he narrowed his eyes at her.

„Well if anything it’s your Granny’s fault, that old hag has been a total slavedriver and wouldn’t shut up about the roof leaking in the workshop-“

„Ed you _absolute_ moron, we all told you to take it easy with your arm, and you keep insisting on doing everything on your own-“

She forced herself to take a deep breath and slowly unclenched her fists.

„Well what happened? Did your hand spasm again and you dropped something on it?“

His eyes widened for a second before turning dark.

„So what if I dropped the hammer? My leg works fine. And you know what? My arm is fine too, I punched the literal incarnation of God in the face with this arm, so I think I can handle a fucking roof-“

She could vaguely hear Al struggling to get off the bed (at what point had she stood up?), telling her and Ed to please calm down, but the blood rushing in her ears seemed to drown out every other sound and if she could just make that  _ bloody idiot  _ see reason for one second-

„Well you obviously can’t handle a fucking roof, not if you’re damaging your automail while y-“

„See this is why I don’t tell you things, you’re always freaking out about the tiniest things! You’re-“

He stopped himself when he saw her blinking away tears, which only made her more angry.

„You’re such an  _ idiot _ “, she shouted, and cursed her voice for sounding so screechy. She whirled around, leaving the door rattling in its hinges on her way out.

Al could sort through the rest of his shirts himself. Hopefully.

Or maybe that stupid brother of his could do something useful for once, that didn’t result in him ruining her automail, and hurting himself, and-

She gripped the wrench in her pocket tightly, and imagined herself giving Ed a good, hard whack on the head.

She turned to the workshop, in need of a distraction, and started with the first thing on this week‘s list, which was measuring and recutting parts for an arm they‘d upgrade in four days.

It was a good arm, an interesting project because she could combine the lighter alloy she worked with at Garfield‘s with her earlier designs-

It was still not quite enough to get her mind to stop thinking about that bloody idiot.

For all of his patience with Al‘s slow recovery, he remained just as reckless and prickly with his own as he had been at eleven.

Maybe it was frustration after they’d beaten all those impossible odds, or maybe he didn’t want Al to see that the arm he‘d sacrificed himself for wasn’t working perfectly; whatever the reason, Ed‘s arm was a taboo topic and it annoyed her to no end.

The metal grinder was whirring loudly in her ears, and so she didn’t notice the knocking until it was accompanied by a particularly loud clang of metal against metal and Ed‘s irritated voice calling „C‘mon Winry don’t be a bitch, I‘m trying to apologize here.“

She shut the machine off and set her goggles aside.

„Sorry, I didn‘t hear you. Come in.“

The door opened and closed while she began to clear her work table. 

She could see him shift his weight from one foot to the other out of the corner of her eye.

„I‘m sorry for yelling at you. I didn’t mean that- what I said. I‘m sorry.“

„It’s okay. I guess I overreacted a bit.“

„Would you- would you consider fixing my leg? I mean, it still works and all, but it ain‘t that pretty I guess-“

Winry gestured to the chair next to her. „Sit down, take off your pants, you know the- wait“.

She threw the screwdriver into the closest drawer _(_ _ even if that one was for measuring instruments, technically-well nevermind)  _ and hated,  _hated_ how  her breath hitched in her throat.

„Why in the world are you still wearing those damn pants?“

His face turned red and he looked away. „I- couldn’t get them off“, he mumbled, waving vaguely with his right hand for emphasis.  _Oh_.

„And Al refused to help me! He said it was my own stupid fault, and that I should go beg for your mercy or whatever-“

„Of course I‘ll help you! Just uhh- can you hold up your boxers if I pull?“

„Umm- yeah sure.“ His cheeks were flaming when she knelt down in front of him, his eyes fixated on the anatomy posters on the wall.

„Okay, so I‘ll just-“

„Uhuh.“

„Right.“ She could feel her ears growing hot, and bit her lip.  _Don’t be ridiculous_ ,  she told herself , _you‘ve helped your patients with this a thousand times. The fact that this is Ed should make it easier, if anything._

By the times she‘d managed to peel the pants off down to knee height, her lip was bleeding, and Ed‘s forehead was covered in sweat. Also he seemed to be mumbling something incoherent.

„Look, the hardest part is done. I think it’s easiest for the rest if you sit down, Ed. Ed?“

„-lium, Calcium, Scandium-“

„ED!“ She added a slight punch to his shoulder for good measure, and he blinked at her.

„Uhh yeah.“ They hobbled over to the chair together, her supporting his shoulder.

„Why did you to put them on anyway? I mean-“ Ed sat down with a grunt,and she rolled her eyes.

„I mean, you  _ know  _ that you‘ve grown since last year. You  _knew_ that  these pants wouldn’t fit you. So why-“ she finally managed to pull the last piece over his feet, and threw the damn thing on his lap.

„Why did you do it?“

He leant back on the chair, crossing his arms behind his head and avoiding her eyes.

„I guess I had to prove to myself that I really can’t be the Fullmetal alchemist anymore“, he answered finally, his mouth pulled into a crooked smile.

„Because your pants are now too short?“ She raised her eyebrows.

„Well, I always made them myself, so it actually- ugh I don’t know, damnit Winry, they were a part of it too, my pants, my boots, my coat- never got that one back from Mrs. Bradley now that I think about it- 

I know it’s kinda pathetic, but I guess I just had to really see it again.“

„It’s not pathetic“, she replied, careful to keep her voice neutral, and hopefully keep her face from pulling into any weird grimaces.

„Well I obviously can’t wear them anymore, so maybe I should give them to some kid in the village, someone who can appreciate my edgy-“

„ I don’t know, or you could keep them for your kids someday.“

_ Damnit, why had she said that?  _ Her head was spinning as if she’d just gotten off of Rush Valleys most terrible rollercoaster, and Ed‘s face was rapidly approaching tomato colour.

„Win-ry“, he choked, and _this_ _ clearly was a discussion for later, way, way into the future- _

„Forget I said that! What I meant to say-“  _ was there something she’d meant to say? Well, she had better think of something fast- _

„Don’t call yourself pathetic. Please. You gave up something really important to you, even if we got Al back. If I had to give up automail- I guess I would feel very lost for a while.“

„But I‘m not lost! After all those years I‘m finally back home, right, this is everything we wanted, and I‘m  _ happy _ , I am, it’s just-“

He was breathing hard, fingers clenched around his knees so tight the knuckles shone white.

Their eyes met, for a second, and then he looked away again, lips pressed into a thin line.

„I guess I never imagined myself becoming this useless“.

„Ed you’re not-“

„I know, I know. And I‘d do it all again, obviously, because in exchange I got Al, and my friends, and y-“

His ears turned red again. He raised up his right arm, clenching and unclenching his hand, and she caught herself waiting for the familiar  _click-click-click_ of  her first automail.

„It’s just, I started alchemy when I was  five.  First it was just fun, and then Mom liked it, and then I thought I had to get her back, and then I had to get Al‘s body-

Point is, I‘m not  _good_ at  anything else. I don’t know anything besides alchemy, I can’t even figure out how to fix a stupid  roof -“

„Will you shut up about the damn roof? I‘ll fix it tomorrow, if it bothers you that much-“

„More like it bothers Granny that much“, she heard him mutter-

„-and about the alchemy thing, I guess you just have to decide what  _you_ want  to do with your life now. Not your mom, not what you  _have_ to  do.“

She touched his jaw lightly, crouching down to meet his eyes.

„Just because you can’t do physical transmutations anymore doesn’t mean you stop being an alchemy freak though.“

His eyebrow twitched. Then the corner of his mouth.

„That’s rich coming from you. Damn gearhead.“

„Speaking of“, she lifted herself back up, „I still have to fix that foot of yours. You’re a walking disgrace to Rockbell automail right now.“

He snorted, probably about to spout some smartass remark, but she sent him a withering glare.

He wisely decided to shut up.

* * *

„Thank you, Win“, he mumbled amidst the clanking of her hammer.

„Seriously. I owe you one.“

_ You could wear those pants again. Get Al to adjust the size- _

Out loud, she said: „Don’t worry about it. We’re all home now. That’s what counts. We have time to figure things out now, right?“


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for criis55 on Tumblr. Be sure to check out her blog for lots of great AlMei and other fma stuff!

„You really can’t let yourself be seen like this“, she chides gently, strolling over to where he’s claimed a quiet bench in the Imperial gardens.

„It would mean a disgrace on your family, your country, and me for having such a slobbish student. And besides, I would have thought ratty sweaters more your brother’s style than yours?“

Al picks at the fraying sleeves with two fingers, pulling out a loose thread with a quiet snort.

He lifts his eyes to meet hers, and pulls his lips into a smile.

„He was the one who bought it for me, way back when I was still in the hospital. Told me I should try to fill this out by the time we went home, so I wouldn’t give Granny a heart attack. Although I don’t think  _ anything  _ could shock Granny into cardiac arrest after she’s been putting up with Brother for nineteen years-“

He snorts again and starts gathering up the books he’d been studying.

Mei only gives a slight huff in acknowledgement and keeps fixating him with piercing dark eyes, one eyebrow raised and one foot tapping impatiently below her dark blue robes.

Right, that probably wasn’t much of an actual explanation. 

He sets the books aside and looks up at her.

„It’s his birthday today, so I suppose I was feeling a little nostalgic. I’m sorry though, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.“

She harrumphs faintly, her nose scrunching up into a decidedly un-princesslike expression, and he can’t help but grin. 

She has this reaction every time Ed is mentioned, and although God knows  _ he knows  _ Ed‘s particular talent for pissing people off, he still can’t figure out what exactly his brother did to offend the Xingese princess.

The one time he tried to ask her about it ended with Mei muttering furiously in rapid, high-pitched Xingese, and the only words he’d managed to catch during her tirade were ‚snake-tongued fraud‘ and ‚playing with a girl‘s heart‘.

So he’s like 70% sure Mei‘s grudge isn’t serious, because honestly, nobody who’s met Ed would  _ever_ describe  his brother as particularly eloquent when it comes to girls. 

The other 30% would still advise his brother to stay clear of Mei‘s knives.

„I suppose I can overlook your sartorial transgressions just this once“, present-Mei announces regally, and flops down next to him on the bench not-quite-so-regally.

She’s still in her court outfit from earlier, an elaborate creation of embroidered silks in white, purple and blue.

He isn’t surprised to see her hair out of the intricate headpiece they made her wear this morning though, not after she’d complained to him for at least half an hour about the Yao clan‘s style being „pathetically garish“ and „being forced to endorse that gluttonous half-wit‘s delusions of grandeur“.

She scoots closer to him on the bench, and he feels his heartbeat stutter for a second when her hair brushes against his skin through the holes in his sleeves.

„Do you miss it? Your home, I mean?“ he asks.

Mei hums thoughtfully, her legs swinging back and forth under the bench. „Well..it is natural to miss one‘s home, I suppose. I miss the quiet sometimes, the mountains and the forests. It’s very beautiful, I‘ll have to show you some day.

But I don’t wish to be there right now, if that was your question. I can protect them here, and that’s my duty as princess. Now that I‘ve got the emperor‘s favor, we don’t have to worry about the neighboring clans trying to take over our territories anymore. He’s a good emperor really, Ling Yao.“

„I wouldn’t have believed it, but yeah“, Al smiles.

Mei scrunches up her nose once more (a tell-tale sign, he‘s noticed, that she’s cutting back some snarky response). Not that he spends that much time watching her, but- she’s interesting, to say the least.

Passionate, and unapologetic, and so undeniably  _ alive  _ that sometimes he forgets that there was a time when he couldn’t lose his breath in her bone-crushing hugs, or get tickled by the ends of her braids.

Mei sighs. „I‘m cold.“

He takes her hands (tiny, delicate, though her fingers are calloused) to blow some air on them like he remembers his mother doing during the winters.

„Better?“

„Hmm“ she hums. Then she suddenly pulls her legs up on the bench, letting herself fall backwards until she’s half lying on his lap.

„That’s better“, she remarks with a satisfied smile and closes her eyes.

Al‘s mind starts reeling, the world outside spinning as if he were sitting in a carousel.

His skin is on fire where she’s shifting her head on his thighs, every nerve ending dialed up to maximum sensitivity with no adaptation in sight.

_ Slow down, Alphonse. Focus. _

It takes four heartbeats until he feels like he can open his eyes again, seven for the colours to lose their blur.

„Mei, are you- are you that tired? Do you want to go inside?“

„Be quiet, I‘m dreaming“, she mutters softly.

Now that he isn’t losing his head over it, this isn’t so bad actually. She looks very peaceful, more relaxed than usual. He sees her eyelids twitch every so often, her lashes throwing spidery shadows on her cheeks.

„Will you share your dreams with me, princess?“, he asks with a smirk.

„That won’t be necessary“, she declares, and he can’t quite hide the hurt flickering across his face.

Her eyes fly open and she adds „You’re already there, after all“ with a sly smile.

He feels his face flushing to the tips of his ears, and looks away. It’s a little embarrassing, after how much he’s teased his brother about getting flustered speechless when Winry so much as smiled at him, but his  tongue seems to have melted into hot sludge, and he can’t think of anything to say.

He probably can’t deny his relation to Ed anymore. And here he thought he was the only Elric halfway decent at smooth-talking. It might be a hereditary thing.

Mei has lifted a hand to her mouth to hide her giggling, but he can feel her body shaking with laughter. A grin starts to form on his face.

Even though she‘ll probably make fun of how easily he gets flustered all the time now, he doesn’t really care. There’s a bright ball of happiness in his chest, located somewhere close to Mei, and he can’t help but think how  _ lucky  _ he is to be sitting here, with his face hurting from smiling too wide, and feeling her laughter vibrate in his bones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soundtrack for this is, very uncreatively, The Neighborhood‘s Sweater Weather. It’s a cool song


End file.
